The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for an adaptation of vocabulary levels for enhanced collaboration.
Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations communicate together to realize a shared objective. Much of today's collaboration is performed using collaborative software designed to help people involved in a common task achieve a given objective. The design intent of collaborative software is to transform the way documents and rich media is shared to enable more effective collaboration. Collaborative software helps facilitate action oriented groups by providing tools that aid communication, collaboration, and the process of problem solving. Additionally, collaborative software may support project management functions, such as task assignments, time-managing deadlines, and shared calendars. The artifacts, the tangible evidence of the problem solving process, and the final outcome of the collaborative effort, require documentation and may involve archiving project plans, deadlines and deliverables. Understanding the differences in human interactions is necessary to ensure that appropriate technologies are employed to meet interaction needs.
One issue with current collaborative systems is a difficulty of understanding a meaning behind entered text when unfamiliar vocabulary is used in the electronic communication. That is, during a collaborative session, the level of vocabulary of the various participants in the collaborative session regarding the subject at hand may vary widely. For example, if a collaborative session is occurring between a doctor and a patient, a term may be used by the doctor that is unfamiliar to the patient. If the doctor were aware of a vocabulary level of the patient prior to sending the electronic communication, then the doctor would be able to replace the unfamiliar term prior to sending the electronic communication. By not having an indication of the vocabulary level of the other users in the collaborative session, additional interactions are required, which may be prevented if a vocabulary level of the other users is initially known.